Municipal Election Nominations Open May 1

April 30, 2018

Nominations for City Council and school board trustees for this fall's municipal election open on Tuesday, May 1 at 8:30 a.m. and will close on July 27 at 2 p.m.

The 2018 Municipal election takes place on Monday, October 22. The City of Sault Ste. Marie will elect one Mayor, and 10 Councillors under the new five ward system structure. In addition, voters will elect school board trustees for English and French boards.

A person may be nominated for office if he or she meets all the requirements: candidates must be 18 or older, a Canadian citizen, a resident of the City of Sault Ste. Marie (or an owner or tenant of land in the City of Sault Ste. Marie or the spouse of such a person) and eligible to vote.

Candidates must file a nomination form, along with the filing fee, before incurring any expenses or collecting any money; two pieces of identification must be presented, showing name, qualifying address and signature. Candidates for City Council will also require 25 endorsement signatures from eligible electors. Forms are available at saultstemarie.ca/2018election. Filing fees are $200 for mayor or regional chair and $100 for all other offices.

To complete the nomination filing process, candidates are encouraged to visit the City's Clerks office Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clerk’s office is located on the fourth floor of the Civic Centre.

New for 2018:

Changes to City of Sault Ste. Marie Ward System

The composition of Council changes with the 2018 municipal election. Two members of Council will represent each of the five wards. The Mayor is elected at large. Ward maps can be viewed at www.saultstemarie.ca/wards.

Changes to the Municipal Elections Act

Municipal elections (including school boards) are governed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Following the 2014 municipal election, the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs conducted a review of the legislation, resulting in several changes to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Some of the changes affecting the 2018 municipal election are as follows:

Election Calendar

Nomination period is shorter. The first day that nominations can be filed is May 1, 2018. Nomination deadline has been moved to the fourth Friday in July (July 27, 2018)

Election campaign period is shorter

Nomination and Eligibility

Candidates seeking office on Council must submit 25 endorsement signatures from eligible electors with their nomination. These individuals will be required to sign a declaration stating that they meet voter eligibility requirements on the day the endorsement is signed. This provision does not apply to candidates for school trustee.

Changes to Campaign Finance Rules

Contributions by corporations and trade unions to candidates are no longer permitted; however, corporations and trade unions can contribute to or register as third party advertisers

Anonymous and cash contributions cannot exceed $25

A new spending limit for post-election parties and expressions of appreciation after Voting Day has been established. The spending limit is calculated as 10% of the maximum campaign expenses for the ward in which the candidate is running.

Third Party Advertising

The legislation now includes a framework for third party advertising. A third party advertisement is a message in any medium (billboard, newspaper, radio, etc.) that supports or opposes a candidate

Individuals, corporations and unions can register as third party advertisers and can also make contributions to third party advertisers. Third party advertisers need to register with the municipality where they want to advertise. If they intend to advertise in more than one municipality they must register in each of them.

Nomination and finance rules for third parties are similar to those of candidates running for office.

Campaigning

Candidates can access apartment buildings, condominiums, non-profit housing co-ops or gated communities from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. to campaign. Landlords and condominium corporations must allow tenants or owners to display campaign signs in their windows.

Election Advertising

Candidates and third party advertisers are required to identify themselves on campaign advertisements and signs, so that it is clear who is responsible for each sign and advertisement that appears or is broadcast.

The City's newly-launched elections website can be viewed at saultstemarie.ca/2018election and contains nomination forms, election guidelines, third party advertising regulations and other resources for candidates. For voters, the website holds voting information, including voters' lists and locations, ward maps and eligibility requirements. For those seeking employment opportunities, job descriptions and applications for working during the election will be available in August.